1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic means for displaying notes and chords played on stringed instruments, and in particular to a digital display device configured to be attached to existing musical instruments, such as guitars, to provide an alphanumeric display of the particular chords being played.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices and techniques used as aids for teaching of playing musical instruments are, of course, well known and have a long history of development. Known devices range from the basic metronome up to the fairly complex instructor/student interactive electronic consoles; and teaching methods are as diverse and as rich as the number of people using them. An illustrative approach in the prior art is outlined in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,368 to Lady, which discloses the use of an instructor/student comparison device for imparting musical skill. In 3,744,368, the instructor depresses selected keys on a large, somewhat conventional keyboard, and one or more students respond by attempting to execute identical key patterns. Both audible and visual cues and fault indications are used to monitor the calibre of the resulting interactions. U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,637 to Scott discloses an audio-visual music educational device directed to teaching and testing students with regard to comprehension of standard musical notation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,868 to W. J. Rose provides a recent and substantive teaching of a largely digital device for displaying musical scales and chords in response to actuations of pushbuttons on a portable, hand-held device. Functionally, the device responds to manipulations of the user-actuated pushbuttons to fetch from self-contained electronic storage means, signals representative of the selected quantities. The display contains letter representations of musical notes, including sharps and flats designations where appropriate. Additional teachings of electronic devices interacting with stringed instruments are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,530,227 and 3,530,226, both to Wheeler et al, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,482,029 to Sines.